| For the French round, a new front and rear Slick, plus a new wet tyre | ||
| The FIM Superbike World Championship resumes after the summer break at the Nevers Magny-Cours circuit, for the French Round – held from 6 to 8 September. Pirelli will introduce three new development tyres for WorldSBK riders, two slicks and one wet tyre.
The new developments among the dry tyres are represented by a front SC1, in D0715 specification, which has a new structure, and a rear SCX, in D0820 specification, which differs from the standard version in its compound. In the event of rain, in addition to the standard SCR1s, the WorldSBK riders will also have a development version of the rear wet tyre, the D0737 specification, which has evolved both in structure and compound. Magny-Cours is ideal for testing new solutions “Magny-Cours marks the halfway point of the season, a key moment for us to assess the progress, in terms of development, made so far and to plan the work in the second part of the championship. The smooth asphalt of the Nevers circuit is particularly important for the tyres, as it offers little grip and amplifies the small differences in performance between the various specifications, thus providing us with valuable data. The new D0820 rear development solution has been designed to offer greater resistance to wear, thus compensating for the wear caused by spinning triggered by poor grip on the asphalt, while still offering riders sensations similar to those they are used to with the standard SCX in terms of performance. The new front solution, on the other hand, continues to pursue the goal of improving the stability of the SC1 family. Magny-Cours is also the ideal track to test the wet tyres, as in the event of rain the already poor grip of the surface is drastically reduced. The new D0737 specification of the rear SCR1 should offer greater stability in acceleration and a more consistent performance over a wider range of use than the standard version.” · Available slicks: each WorldSBK rider will have 8 units of the new D0715 specification front SC1 development at their disposal, in addition to 8 pieces of SC1 and 6 of SC2, both of which are standard. There will also be 8 pieces of the brand new SCX rear development in D0820 specification, which completes the options together with 8 SCXs and 4 SC0s, as well as 4 SCQs intended only for qualifying and the Superpole Race. · In case of rain: for the rear, in addition to 8 standard SCR1 units, as many SCR1 development units will be available, in specification D0737. Both of these options can be combined with the standard front SCR1, available in 8 pieces for each rider. In the event of mixed track conditions, each rider will be able to count on 3 front and as many rear tyres of Intermediates. · WorldSSP allocation: in this class, each rider will have 7 SC1 and 6 SC2 tyres available for the front, which can be combined with 7 units of SCX or 6 of SC0 for the rear. All options for this category are standard. · A mix of technical challenges: the Nevers Magny-Cours circuit is very flat in shape, with minimal changes in altitude, except for a small dip at Turn 3 and a slight climb near Turn 15, so it does not expose the tyres to excessive lateral or longitudinal loads, unlike the previous round’s circuit in Portimão. It includes a wide variety of technical difficulties, as many of its corners are inspired by famous sections of other circuits and bear their names, such as the fast “Estoril” (Turn 3), the “Adelaide” hairpin (Turn 5) and the “Nürburgring” and “Imola” chicanes (Turns 7-8 and 12-13, respectively). The layout combines slow hairpin bends that test the stability and speed of entry of the front under braking and high-speed sections, including a long straight leading to the “Adelaide” hairpin, chicanes and the long “Estoril” Turn 3, where it is the stability and grip of the rear that can make the difference. |
